


Cold, yet Welcoming Sea

by HelloIhaveanaccounthere



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Blood, Gore, His name is Akira here don't @ me, M/M, Magic, MerMay, Merman Akira, The Little Mermaid but reversed, We don't know much about her character yet, Witch Kasumi, mermaid, so expect an update when I learn it hehe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 05:20:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19041955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelloIhaveanaccounthere/pseuds/HelloIhaveanaccounthere
Summary: Akechi Goro had been assigned a mysterious murder case, where the victims always wash ashore, hearts and throats missing, with a rock written in a language nobody can read. But when the man he'd been seeking revenge against becomes a victim, he decides to end it all, despite making good acquaintances with a mysterious mute man with glasses.But the creatures of the Sea have other plans.





	Cold, yet Welcoming Sea

**Author's Note:**

> Cranked this out for MerMay and as my first piece here I'm nervous, but I hope you all enjoy this.

The wind was strong this time of day, blowing my hair around. I’ll admit, it is a little hard, staring down the cliff into a large expanse of never ending ocean. I sigh, thinking about what led me here.

It was a small case, but a curious one. Big people were disappearing, and then washing up, throats and hearts removed from their bodies, a carved rock next to them, written in a language nobody knows.

But I knew these people had something in common, all of them were shit people. Spitting on those around them that they thought themselves higher than. In all honesty I was glad they were dead, but as public figures I had to look into it the best I could.

This case was going to take a while, I knew that. With no suspects, and having to look at countless stones, with etchings I can’t read it’s only fair to say that. It does have a similar structure to ancient languages, Greek and Latin, but there are some asian characters, but it’s nigh impossible to completely translate it, as it makes little to no sense.

There was one person I marked down as interesting. A mute individual, we stared at the ocean once or twice, I talked about things other than the case, needed to take my mind off of it for a short while. He would listen, staring outward, longing in his eyes.

Right before the death that led me here, that same man, with glasses, and raven curls, brought me something. It was just a simple black feather, with a note written in chicken scratches of japanese. “I like birds, you remind me of this bird. Crow.” He was smiling at me, I merely thanked him.

I look at this feather now, a reminder of the one person I’m leaving behind. I’ve turned it into a charm, dangling from my wrist, it sways with the wind.

Only yesterday did I find him… Masayoshi Shido… It still sickens me to think that name. The name that plagued my miserable life. He was dead, just like the rest. Throat and heart ripped from his soaking body, and the same language written into stone next to him.

It ruined me.

The one person I’ve been striving to kill my entire life, and someone got to him first. The public was distraught, that their soon to be prime minister had been killed just like that. Of course they would be. They didn’t know what kind of monster he was.

The demise of Shido brought me here, to this cliff. Alone with my memories, and a charm. I finally take the leap, there’s nothing else for me to live for… No lover, no friends… Nothing.

The water slapped me as I dove in, eyes burning, mouth shooting open in pain only for cold water to rush in, the salty taste the last thing there before I closed my eyes, and shut away the world I would be leaving soon.

It was almost unbearably cold, it numbed me, and my chest ached. I thought that would just be the end, that I’d die. But I could still hear water rushing around me, something was there, carrying me somewhere. I could feel the sudden chill of the wind, only making my body colder. I knew I was shivering, and there was pressure on my chest.  
I coughed and coughed, water rushing up my throat and out into open air. I slowly opened my eyes, tears in them and the burning returning. I squinted and blinked, trying my hardest to get the salt water out. My body felt heavy, like wet sandbags, yet it was vibrating to keep me warm, as impossible as that felt.

When my vision finally cleared, I saw a silhouette, a person, but there was something off. The colors came into focus, and I could see it clearly. Its face was a pale red, large fins, tilted in odd angles where its ears should be. I can only stare, my body seemingly too tired to do anything else. Its eyes were curious, and looked odd. White pupil, black sclera, and an oddly familiar silver iris. They stared back at me, never blinking. The mouth opened a tiny sliver, but enough to reveal shark like teeth. It’s quite strange, how beautiful this creature is, but that might just be the strain of what I just tried to do messing with my thoughts.

When I can feel again, there’s an ice cold feeling against the back of my neck. Turning my eyes, I see a scarlet arm connected to that feeling, leading up to a pale chest. I’m not sure how to react to this. I want to push this thing away, but stay as still as possible, to be cautious. The creature’s neck has fins on it too, they’re waving and twitching, clicks and soft whispers echoed into my ears. Was it, communicating? The only way it could?

It’s other hand cupped my face, and I stayed as still as possible, those clicks still resounding. I felt the large webbing between its fingers, it almost felt like a wet rag against my cheek. The human like face was twisted into a sad one, possibly worried. The hand on my face moved down to my wrist, the one with the charm, the webbed hand clutched the metal wiring tightly. A lone finger probed at the feather, sad whines seeming to come from it.

Soon I faintly heard footsteps, and the creature must have heard them too. It left in a hurry, the hand holding the back of my neck scratched it as its owner left the scene. I held the wound, it wasn’t bleeding, but it still hurt. Gazing into the open blue, two lines in the distance slam into the sea, and a large fish leaps out of water.

The creature… What was it exactly?

I turn around and see Sae-san, her pretty face had clear worry on it. “Akechi!” She knelt next to me, arms wrapped around my waist and something warm shortly followed. I look down, head sagging in the process, it’s a blanket. “I was just patrolling the beach looking for anything suspicious and… I heard someone say there was a boy on the cliff and they gave me a description of you and…” Her voice was shaking a little, but she clears her throat, “I got worried about you. Don’t do this again alright?” 

I nod the best I can… I just feel exhausted. It’s not that long of a walk to my temporary home, a small motel rank of mold and cigarettes. The door is unlocked by Sae with a click, and I’m laid down on the nearest bed. “I’ll check back in on you tomorrow.”

She left afterwards, and consciousness slipped away.

 

I woke up that morning sneezing like no tomorrow, still cold even under several blankets, and the scratch itching like hell. I could barely reach the heater and turned it to max, but that only made me feel like I was melting. I couldn’t stop coughing, that damned itch not helping much, although the itching had died down immensely.

Soon there was a light knock at the door, the itching gone, replaced with… Something I don’t recognize. I could hear Sae’s voice, although what she was saying was muffled behind the door. There was a click and inside came Sae and the man I’d met. I’d say he looked much more worried than her, and acted as such, rushing over to my side and feeling my forehead.

He only looks back at her, hand pointing up. “Pneumonia…” She fished through a bag at her side, “As I expected.” She took out some aspirin and fetched me some water. The man stared at her in intrigue, but constantly looked back to me, clearly worried. He had sat down on the bed, next to me and was feeling my face, a little too much for comfort.

The water was ice cold as it carried the pill down my throat. Sae turned to the raven haired man, “Watch over him okay, I hope I don’t come back to a corpse.” She left, and I was alone. It was... awkward to say the least. He always looked around the room, like a hawk, and would often look at me for long periods of time, worry etched into his face.

It took me until now to notice, but the unfamiliar feeling the scratch was giving away felt much stronger now. It’s… A difficult feeling to describe. On the surface, it felt like a relaxing hot spring, but inside… It was calming, but unnatural, a welcoming presence, but one I don’t know how to process… It’s a good feeling, but a strange one.

I cough again, nearly hacking up something, and I feel his hands against my back. They’re ice cold, but in my current state it feels good, great even. He’s rubbing them up and down my spine in such a manner that makes me feel better. I sigh in relief at how good it feels.

Soon one hand starts running through my hair, and it feels just as good, the chill against his hands doing wonders for me. I sneeze maybe once or twice while he’s doing this, my chest aching, but not quite as bad as it had been before. I feel a drowsiness spring up within me, the scratch and his hands helping me drift off.

There’s a voice too… A soft one, deep but soothing. The drowsiness is coming in quicker and harder, not that I mind. This sleep… I believe will comfort me.

 

When I finally wake up, it’s the scratch that does it. It’s almost aching, and pulling me awake. I groan and reach for it, and to the touch it’s hot. My pneumonia feels to have gone down, my chest doesn’t quite hurt so much, and my head feels clearer. I sit up and lean against the headboard, hugging a pillow to help with my chest.

I look at the clock, 6:42PM. I’ve slept a lot in the last 24 hours. I sigh and decide to turn on the TV, might distract me from the absolute pain I feel in my neck.

It’s the news. “Now is our local hotspot center in town. Now being by the sea means a lot of fish, but space is where you really want to go.”

“Pass.” I flip the channel, all the late night shows are on, stupid dramas and sitcoms I don’t want to see. I just sigh and turn it off, sinking down into the bed enough to lay down on it. 

Soon enough after that, there’s a knock at the door. I grumble and sit up, eventually standing up to answer the door. Looking into the small peephole, there’s a girl I don’t recognize. Bright red hair is the first thing I see. There’s a small package in her hand. I open the door a small bit, “Who’re you?”

“Ah I’m Kasumi Yoshizawa, I’m here on Akira’s behalf.” She stood up a little straighter, smiling a little wider. 

“I don’t know any Akira’s miss, you must have the wrong door.” I’m about to close it before she pipes up again, “Are you Goro Akechi?” I open the door a little more instead, sneezing into my elbow, and then nodding.

“Then I’m at the right door.” She smiles and opens the door a little wider for me, slipping in and setting the package down on the nearby dresser. “It’s to help your illness and the Mark.” She points to her neck and I get the picture.

“Who’s Akira?” I sit down on the bed, giving the best glare I can from my eyes.

“Oh yeah, he can’t speak to you, right.” She plays with the bottom of her sweater a bit before looking back at me, eyes equally as red as her hair, “He’s the person you’ve been talking to often, the one that gave you the crow’s feather.” My eyes widen a bit before relaxing.

“Oh… So that’s his name.” But something is a little off. How could he talk to her but not me? Plus the pain of that scratch, Mark as she called it, went away when Akira was close… Now he’s gone and it hurts like hell. There’s definitely a connection there.

“Are you alright?” I blinked, oh yeah… There’s someone else in this room too. Before I can reply the cough wells up again, my throat beginning to hurt as well. I can see her opening the little box and pulling out a vial of pink liquid. She walks over and hands it to me as I rub my throat, “To help with that.” She says.

I take it cautiously, the taste was sweet, and it felt bubbly against my tongue. The aches in my chest and throat going away almost instantly. It wasn’t even that much but I already felt so much greater than just a few seconds ago. I look at Yoshizawa, a little skeptical of what just happened.

“What’s going on here?”

She blinks, “What do you mean?”

“You said Akira can speak to you.” I can see the way her eyes widen that tiniest bit before going back to normal, “But he’s mute, isn’t he?”

“I can understand sign.” 

“He never signed with me.”

“He was worried you wouldn’t understand without me there.”

“Then why would he talk to me alone?”

“Because…” Got you. She shifted her weight, eyes losing contact. “He just did. I don’t know everything about him… We only met a month ago.”

“Like I’d believe that…” I stood up and started to walk to the bathroom, I needed to go. “Just get out of here okay, Yoshizawa. If you can speak with Akira, tell him this ‘Mark’ sucks.” I close the door, and I hear Yoshizawa take her leave.

I sigh and lean against the door, slowly sliding until my ass hit the ice cold floor. The worst part was, her… serum, worked. I didn’t feel pressure against my chest anymore, the aching in my head felt like a simple calming wave. Yet… This burning, almost melting feeling on the back of my neck, remained. There was more pain in the front of it, that pain moving when I turned my head...

Great, it’s a compass too. I groan, standing up and turning on the light so I could piss. After flushing the toilet and washing my hands I looked in the mirror, noticing just how red the left side of my neck was… I reached up to touch it, and the water on my hand evaporated, turning to steam in an instant.

I make an audible noise of frustration, I’m going to have to take more of her shit aren’t I? I dry my hands with a towel before leaving, finding the package still neatly sitting on the dresser. I look inside, floral patterns lined the inside of the box, its contents were an empty vial, a vial filled with a pale indigo substance, a card, and a note.

I look at the note and card, the latter obviously for business, but the former was interesting. ‘If you kicked me out, here’s an explanation and instructions for these remedies.’ So she was prepared for this outcome… I skip over the one for my sickness, already took that, ‘Mark Gel: As you aren’t very close to the one who gave that to you, it will burn, begging you to get closer. This simple gel is meant to stop the burning, so you won’t feel a thing, for at least twelve hours! Only use a tenth of the contents, so it lasts you, remember a little goes a long way. Apply to the direct mark for the most relief.’

It took me a minute to process what was written here, taking everything in was hard, as the exact same ‘Mark’ it mentioned seared with the wrath of a thousand suns. In desperation, I put the gel on my fingers as quickly as possible, rubbing it against that ‘Mark’ so the pain would just go away!

After a few seconds the aching goes away, it just becomes numb. There’s still that pulling feeling, but it’s not a painful one anymore. I sigh in relief, and look for my phone, which is sitting neatly on top of dry folded clothes. I put them on and look at my notifications.

One missed call from an unknown number, and work.

I decide to ignore work at the moment and called the mysterious number back. “Hello?” A familiar voice responded quickly, Yoshizawa’s.

“Why did you call me earlier?” I didn’t want to interrogate her, I didn’t even think this would be her number. I hope the irritation got through to her.

“Oh… Akechi-kun,” she didn’t seem to happy from this either, “I was calling to let you know I was coming, but when you didn’t respond I assumed you were asleep and didn’t bother you further."

"So why are you calling me now?”

“Because an unknown number showing up on my notifications feed is something I’m interested at looking into.” I sit back down on the foot of the bed, “Is Akira with you?”

“No, he’s back at his home, I’m on my way to visit him right now. To tell him how you’re doing.”

“Great now that the Mark isn’t burning a hole in my neck.” But I still feel the urge to go somewhere… It’s not a burning one, but it’s still clearly present.

“That’s good, I’m so glad it worked.”

“Yeah, I am too… But how did you know about it?”

“Akira told me about it. He saw it before he left and I just have knowledge about this stuff.”

“About what… Fish people?”

“Merpeople. Yes they’re real, and yes one did give you that Mark.”

I thought about her words for a minute before sighing, “Of course, I believed it since one saved my life.”

Silence.

It stayed.

“Akechi-kun,” I didn’t respond, I moved across the room, grabbing a spare shirt and jacket, “I’m not going to stop you from doing anything stupid. Mers are…. Unpredictable. If you look into this, just know that you could die.”

“Thank you.” My voice comes out in a monotone. I hang up and shove the phone into the pocket of my jacket. It’s then I notice the charm around my wrist is gone. I panic a little bit, looking everywhere I can for it, it’s nowhere. I sit down on the bed again, pressing my hands against my head.

“You idiot… How could you lose it?” I say to myself… That was a gift from Akira, and I just lost it. I sigh and decide to just leave. Go to the trains maybe, leave everything behind, start a life somewhere new.

Yet when I reach near the end of my angry walk out, I find myself at the beach again, the Mark beating like a heart, urging me to go out to the shore. I follow it, and sit at the edge of the dock, where it beats the hardest.

I dip one finger into the water, it’s cold, but I leave it in there. Lazily, I try to form patterns in the water, moving my finger back and forth. The feeling in the Mark fluctuated a little bit, sometimes it was slightly lighter, or slightly heavier. It’s almost like a radar.

I let my finger stop, and pull it out, it’s starting to get numb. I hold it tightly in my other hand, and notice something happening in the water. The beating is bordering on agonizing now, as if I’m right on top of what it’s directing me towards.

In just one moment, the water splashes upwards, and a large weight pushes me on my back, my head hitting the dock, the wood creaking with the sudden added weight. After blinking away the shock, I’m met with a familiar sight, the face of… Whatever it is that saved me.

It seemed happy, a grin on his face, sharp teeth flashing, eyes seeming to glow in an exciting light. The fins on the side of its head were straight, lifted high, to where the ends of them were higher that the top of its head. I let out a breath and relaxed a little, staring at the creature that saved me.

I slowly put my hands behind me and attempted to raise myself off the dock, so that I was sitting. The creature also sat up, well, sort of. A large tail was clearly visible, and was sliding across the dock. Bright red, with black splotches, yellow spots that seemed to glow, patterned across the expanse of… Skin? It wasn’t scaly, at least not at first glance.

Large fins laid against the dock, the clear lines of gills rest under its arm, and other sets of fins I had not first seen on his back and arms were there. It merely stared at me, it was kind of creepy, but I suppose it’s just glad to know I’m okay, and that I came to see it.

I scooted a little closer to it, the more human looking side of it was slightly larger, and broader than me. I didn’t mind it all too much. I… I didn’t mind being this close to what I can only say is a merman.

The fins along his neck began to move again, the sounds of dolphins and whales coming through together. I could mark the changes in pitch and frequency, even noises I couldn’t quite recognize were being heard. He stopped after a short while, his pale face lighting with color before he reached over the side of the dock. I leaned a little closer to the water, curious as to what he was doing. 

When he came back out of the water, he held in his webbed hand, the charm I had lost. How did he get it? Just as I’m about to ask him, he takes my left hand and reattaches it. It’s surprisingly dry, the feather doesn’t have a drop of water on it, and the metal is only cold, not wet. I touch it with my other hand, feeling along it’s edge and feeling divots, markings. When I look closer at it, it’s in that same strange language from the rocks… But it’s clear.

I can read what it’s saying, “I’m sorry for taking this. I just wanted you to understand me, so we could talk for real. I hope you like it.” I blink a little in confusion… I could suddenly read a foreign language nobody could translate.

“Sorry again.” I heard a voice… It was distorted but very clear at the same time. It was deep, but there was a familiar calming tone in it. “I made it into a translator.” I look at where the voice is coming from, and I see his neck fins moving, “It required the ocean, so I had to take it… I’m sorry.” The voice was coming from… The merman?

I only stare, a little shocked to say the least. I could understand the sounds that he made? “It…. It’s fine.” I continue rubbing my hand against the charm, almost mesmerized by it. I heard a faint gurgling noise come from the merman across from me. Was he laughing? I set my hand down and scooted closer to him. I reach my right hand forwards, and I notice him staring at it curiously.

“If you want to you can,” I pause and make eye contact, “Touch me I mean.” I keep still. Slowly, I get even closer, the merman staying still, and my hand reaches ever closer. It eventually rests upon what I believe is his hip. It’s as smooth as a dolphin, it relaxes me. I move it up and down, the smoothness of his skin is somewhat shocking, but I don’t mind at all.

I’m too distracted by the feeling to notice his hand coming closer. It covers the one resting against the doc, thumb running over the charm. It’s… Cold. A familiar coldness, one that’s welcoming. As my hand travels upwards, the familiar feeling of bone runs against my palm, his other hand finds itself against my neck. It does make me jump, but after the shock wears off, I find myself leaning into it. At least he’s not bothering my Mark, the one he gave me. He is looking at it though, face squished in a way to convey clear worry, one I had seen before.

“I… I’m sorry about Marking you… I did intend for it, but it was an accident.”

I look into his eyes, ivory pupils dilated, and they’re covered in a film of sorts. “That doesn’t quite make sense, but I think I understand.” The film disappears, and those enchanting eyes come closer to me, face lighting up, I do chuckle a little bit.

“I-” His head returns to its original spot, “I’m glad you do, that means I made the right choice.” The hand that rested against my own comes up to the Mark, clawed hands running along it, the feeling ice cold but it’s so pleasing. A sound comes out of my throat I don’t recognize. I hear a soft gurgling come from him again, he is laughing. “Ever since I first saw you… I,” I see his eyes gaze at the dock, before quickly raising back up to look into mine again, “I was entranced. That’s… Funny coming from me isn’t it.”

I do chuckle at that, “I guess, but I don’t think I looked too good then.” His face twists into confusion before lighting up in realization. The hand not on the Mark moved upwards into my hair, running against the scalp in such a way that it felt like heaven.

When my mouth opened again, I felt cold lips mesh with my own, yet instead of being repulsed, I accept it wholeheartedly. The faintest taste of the ocean water resting against it. The hand I had rested against his back moves down the silky smooth skin and rests on the curve of his tail, my other hand entangling into the slowly thickening inky hair, soft for something from saltwater.

When we break away, his lips move to me ear, “Goodbye,” I can feel the fins rippling on his neck, “This was fun. I enjoyed talking with you Goro.” I blink in surprise, he knows my name? I can hear the gurgle that’s his chuckling, “Love…”

The name he said caused my eyes to widen as he slipped off of the dock, large tail sinking into the water as a faint shadow swam away. I stared out to sea, shocked with my fingers against my lips. “Akira…”

I heard footsteps against the dock, I whipped my head around to see Yoshizawa standing there, a knowing look on her blank face, “Akechi-kun.” I stand up, taking a small glance back towards the ocean before walking to Yoshizawa. “I’m sure you must be a little confused at what’s happened.”

I cross my arms, “Not quite.” I place my left finger and thumb against my chin, “I have a vague idea about what’s happened.” I ponder something for a moment. If Yoshizawa could give me something for my pneumonia and this mysterious Mark, then surely she could… “Yoshizawa.”

“Yes Akechi-kun?” Her hands come together and the fingers end up entwining themselves, probably a nervous habit. 

“I know you have connections to the Supernatural.” She blinks before nodding her head just slightly, “Do you think you could give me a Merman’s tail?” Her eyes widen, and her mouth opens slightly. She holds her hand over her mouth for a brief moment.

“I… I could but, why?” Her eyebrows knit up in clear concern.

“I jumped off the cliff you tell me why.” Her face remains concerned but it relaxes slightly.

“I don’t have a merman’s tail… But any will work,” She places a hand against her neck, “I have a tail on hand, I’ll just need your blood, and some time.”

“That works for me.” She gives one more concerned look before reaching into a pocket, pulling out an intricate looking knife, the handle twisted and curled elegantly against itself, a rose charm dangled down from it. “This will hurt. Just warning you ahead of time.”

I nod, face set, “I can handle it.” She still looks cautious, but slowly she comes towards me, and takes my right hand. I barely even see the movement, I see the large wound and feel the pain though. I wince, but hold back the urge to grab the cut.

A small container is placed beneath my arm, and her hand guides mine. Blood pours into it, it stings and burns, but eventually she wraps her hand tightly around it. All of the pain had gone away. I blinked, surprised, when she pulled her hand away and there wasn’t any mark.

“Meet me back here tonight, you’re very lucky there’s a Full Moon. This’ll go by quickly.” She smiles and walks away, a small bounce in her step.

I press my fingers against my forehead, lightheadedness finally hitting me. I figure walking through town might help me prepare a little bit before I leave this god awful world.

 

The dock creaks as I walk across it, bare feet against the surprisingly sturdy wood. I sit down at the edge, my toes dipped into the cold water, the Mark on my neck beating softly, a calming sensation flowing through me. I stare out to sea, the moon and stars uncovered, reflecting quite beautifully against the calm waters.

I’m not sure how long I was sitting there, but after waiting a while, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to look and there was Yoshizawa, a ball of red light in her hands. I stood up, and faced her.

“Hello Akechi-kun.” She stopped a few meters away from me, the light from the ball growing brighter the closer it got to me, and I could see Yoshizawa smiling, “Seems it’s eager to be your tail.”

“I don’t understand that, but I’ll agree with you nonetheless.” She giggled for a brief moment, before her face turned harsh and serious.

“You know you can’t come back from this right. The moment I put this in you… You can’t remove it, you’ll be stuck,” As she tells me this, I rub the Mark on my neck, glance at the charm, magic etched into it. “It’s permanent, are you sure you want to go through with this?”

I nod, “I’m sure it’ll be better than what’s up here.” She looks down at the ball, quiet. Her eyes resemble gears turning, she seems lost in thought.  
“Alright then.” She looks me dead in the eyes, “You’ve made your choice. Just a fair warning, it might hurt… A lot.”

I chuckle at her statement, before she pushes the orb towards me, my body absorbing it. It’s oddly cold, the chill settling in the pits of my stomach, making me uncomfortable more than anything.

“I’m sorry for this Akechi-kun.” What does she mean by that? It’s when she pushes me into the water when I get it. I silently yell at her, and forgive her as my back crashes through the still waters. The cold sea welcomes me, it’s odd to suddenly feel as though this place is your home.

Then, that chill begins to sting. It rushes through my veins, and it hurts. I curl in on myself and scream, but i can’t even hear myself the pain is so deafening. I clutch my head and thrash my legs as much as I can, it hurts. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts… and the world when dark.

 

All I see is your face, the red skin, your goofy smile. Those sharp teeth showcased as I hear you gurgle a happy sound. “Goro.” You say, over and over, you say my name. Soon you’re saying it in a different tone, softer, quieter, there’s a small rasp in it.

I listen to it in bliss, “Akira.” I whisper back to you. Your eyes crinkle and there’s pure love in them. Your lips meet mine, but I don’t feel anything. Your hands should be cold against me, but I don’t even feel them there.

It’s then I open my eyes for real, and you’re not there. I’ll I see is stone, water reflecting against it, tinting it blue. I sigh, feeling air run through my neck, I pause at this. I reach to it, my arm feel like they’re filled with sand. It’s a struggle to pull my arm up to my neck, and when it gets there, I feel slits and, something else.

I quickly pull away and attempt to turn around and push myself up, but my body feels worse than my arms. I pull myself onto my side before having to pause, and for some reason it hurts. Suddenly it feels like the world is going dark again, and I can feel the muscles on the open side flexing, pushing air through as much as it can. It freaked me out so much I flipped onto my stomach.

I placed my hands against the ground to push myself up, but paused. My skin was never this pale, and my hands are webbed. I try to swallow and find I’m unable. I find myself panicking briefly, before I remember it. This should be how I look… I took a tail, Yoshizawa helped me with this.

I calm down, and twist so I’m on my back again. I observe more of my surroundings. The cave is small, but spacious. There’s a wide pool of water and I can see it leads outwards. I look over myself, my skin is now almost white, and my tail opposes that. It’s a strange dark blue, with dark gray stripes spiraling up it. The tail fin is black, and appears torn. Perhaps the original owner damaged it?

Whatever the case was, this body belonged to me now.

I waited for a few more minutes before trying to slink into the small pool, finding it difficult to turn myself around now. I pulled myself forward, my tail feeling like a bag of bricks. I breathed out of my nose, and what I assume to be my new mouths, I’ll have to get used to that feeling.

Soon my nose hits the water and reflexively, my eyes close as my entire body follows suit. It feels so much lighter and what I can only guess are my gills, open and close, breathing in the oxygen through the water. I feel much calmer now, and I see now the pool is much deeper than I thought. Several flat rock platforms jut up from the floor, and they sparkle with jeweled ornaments.

I carefully move forwards with my arms, unsure about using my tail just yet. I grasp the first platform I come into contact with. Slowly the rest of my body glides to it and settles down against it. I lay there against it, feeling calm and relaxed. It is a little lonely.

I lay there for a while, watching the water’s reflection dance across the bottom of the cave, a drowsy feeling washing over me. As I feel like I’m about to fall asleep again, I hear something moving. I quickly jump up, fins shooting out on reflex. My throat rumbles in a snarl.

I quickly relax though, as it’s just a familiar red merman. Akira’s fins were raised too, before they snapped down, and he rushed towards me. His hands rest against my face, I can actually feel them. I can feel myself smile, and I can see his.

“Goro! I was so worried! You weren’t waking up and… I’m so glad you’re okay!” His head rubs against mine, and I push forward into his as well. We stay like that for a while, my hands finding a place in his hair. “Are you hungry?”

It’s when he asks this question that I notice the small ache in my stomach, I nod as my response. He takes a hold of my wrist and pulls me back up to the small landing I woke up in. He pulls a large rock up like a lid, and reaches down and fetches a small wet brown bag, still moving fish seemed to be inside. We rest on top of the rock, our torsos resting against the top, our tails entwined beneath the water.

He opens the bag and pulls out a squirming salmon, “Try it.” I take it out and grip tightly so it doesn’t escape, my claws breaching it’s scales. I quickly try to take a bite, and just get slapped. I hear Akira’s gurgle chuckle and I glare at him.

Eventually the fish goes limp in my hands and that’s when I begin to eat it again. It tastes surprisingly well, almost like well made miso. I hear Akira absolutely massacring another salmon, the skeleton visible in merely seconds. I continue eating at my own pace, trying to ignore the messy eater that's literally bound to my hip.

We just sit here like this for a good while, until we finished the bag, Akira done eating long before I am. When I finish, Akira places his head against me Mark, the feeling of it euphoric. His hair had dried because I took so long, and it’s fluffiness brushed against my skin. I made that same noise from the first time he did it.

Soon my back rested against the edge of the rock, and our lips were connected. It felt so much better now, my arms had wrapped against his back, and our tails unable to move they were wrapped so tightly.

My hand dragged against his back, nails barely scratching it, and Akira pulled back, a clear moan exiting his mouth. We merely stared at each other for another minute. Akira smirked, “I’m glad to finally be all yours, Goro.”

My eyes widened as I realized what I’ve just done, but soon his smirk is reflected onto me.

We continued to kiss, and touch our Marks. It was honestly the most happy I had felt in years, just being there, with the merman I had fallen for. I hoped to be like that forever.


End file.
